Health Spotlight | Recover from hip surgery sooner

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — In the U.S., surgeons perform more than 500,000 hip replacements every year. That number is only expected to increase as our population ages. But as beneficial as this procedure can be, it is a major surgery that often requires a lengthy recovery. That’s prompting more doctors to use an alternative technique in hopes of giving patients better outcomes.

If you or a loved one needs a hip replacement, expect it to take about four to eight weeks to fully recover.

“Hip surgery is no small deal,” said Dr. Gregory Mendez, MD, a surgeon at Mercy Medical Center Orthopedic.

But there’s a surgical technique gaining popularity that’s helping people walk on their own up to six days faster. It’s called a direct anterior total hip arthroplasty.

“I find my patients really enjoy getting up and doing things they want right after surgery,” Mendez said.

Surgeons make a small incision about three to six inches long near the front of the hip. Guided by real-time x-rays, they move muscle tissues aside instead of cutting through them like in traditional procedures.

“So, when we replace the hip, we’re replacing the socket and the ball,” Mendez said.

Then they implant the artificial hip.

“Theoretically there’s no muscle healing that needs to happen. Patients are usually up and about the day of surgery if not the day after surgery,” Mendez said.

Leading to a faster recovery.

Doctors warn that this approach is still surgery, so talk to your provider about your symptoms and request thorough exams before exploring any hip replacement surgery option.

This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV. Health Spotlight is presented by Community Health Network.